Yes, this is what qualifies as a post during the offseason.

Sidney Crosby was at the Kentucky Derby this weekend. NBCSN on Twitter had a pic:

He looks like a real dick in that photo.

Crosby also appeared on NBC... as the wrong person.

That rhymes.

Via our friends at Days of Y'Orr.

Braden Holtby's parents were featured a lot during the the three OT classic in D.C. last night. And when the Cap's lost:

Ouch. hahhahha. Thanks to the people that sent that in.

Is there a more bad luck organization in multi-OT's than the Caps?Marian Gaborik was the hero against the Caps late in the third OT:

The New York Rangers Blog is all over everything. Great leadership by him right now. No clue why he doesn't have a gif of Sather's fist pump up though.

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Yesterday news broke of the Habs hiring Marc Bergevin as their GM. [ SbNation ]

This could be considered good news for the Penguins for a two reasons.

1. Bergevin is BFF's with 66. So maybe 66 can get Bergevin get tanked and make some big deal.

2. If you remember, one of the people the Habs contacted for the job was Sidney Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson. [ ESPN ]

The second reason obviously could have sent everyone into a panic. Brisson going to Montreal with Crosby deal set to expire next year would have been the worst.

After readmore, GIF of the day, Unreal new game.

Okay, so we totally forgot about this in the aftermath of the Penguins' playoff elimination. Sorry. It's not like the winner was ever in doubt anyway.

Ranger fans did this. [ Via puck daddy ]

In their first round victory over the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers fans started a new chant at MSG: Beginning a countdown at the 11:11 mark and then screaming "Alfie Sucks!" at 11 minutes left in each period; a goof on a more good-natured cheer Sens fans used to honor No. 11 Daniel Alfredsson in Ottawa.
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Washington Capitals on Saturday, the MSG faithful started a new tradition: Counting down around the 8-minute mark of each period and then screaming "Ovi Sucks!" in honor of Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.

Then A.O. did this:

What a shot.

Gif via [ RussianMachineNeverBreaks ]

Series is tied at 1-1.

• The Kings destroyed the Blues last night. [ TheRoyalHalf ]
• Philly/Jersey is the only game on slate tonight.

The Dark Knight rises trailer after readmore.

Some good info this past week on the Penguins organizational depth.

• Rob Rossi on the lack of good forwards. [ trib ]

Shero probably cannot commit to abandoning the once-playoff successful “Big Three” formula of centers Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal because there are barely prospects worthy of playing with them, let alone replacing one of them, on the horizon

Has Rob Rossi ever written a column where the headline doesn't contrast what he is talking about. SMH.

• Hockey Futures @IanAltenbaugh, with a fantastic breakdown of the Penguins collegiate prospects.  [ Hockey Futures ]

This is the guy we are most excited about:

Ben Hanowski, C/W, St. Cloud Huskies (WCHA)
Drafted 3rd round, 63rd overall, 2009

Hanowski exploded in his junior season, managing 43 points in 39 games, more than his prior two seasons totals combined. A cursory glance at the 6'2 forward suggests one of the biggest reasons for his offensive outburst is physical maturation, as he appears to have added substantial muscle over the past year. He also played with a great deal more confidence than in prior years which was obvious in the chances he took and his ability to convert them.

The captain of St. Cloud State University, Hanowski appears to have the tools to be a top-six offensive forward for the Penguins. He is equally proficient at distributing the puck as he is putting it in the back of the net and does some of his best work on the powerplay. Hanowski will likely return to St. Cloud for his senior season.  

And to circle everything back, the rumblings on Jordan Staal have begun.

David Staples of the Edmonton Journal penned this blog about Jordan Staal this weekend.  [ Cult of Hockey blog ]

On Hockey Night in Canada, there was much speculation that Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins could be had for the right price, mainly because the Penguins might want to change things up and Staal might want a bigger role on a new team, as he is playing behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin right now.

Said analyst Glenn Healey: “This player is not going to ask to be traded but the hockey world knows something has got to happen"

Well first, lets just say Glenn Healey sucks.

But, Staples lays out an interesting argument:

Staal is a big, strong and fairly aggressive two-way centre, still in his prime, capable of playing the toughest minutes. He won’t come cheap, but he’ll likely be worth the money over the next six or seven years if he can stay healthy.

He is exactly the kind of player the Oilers need at centre, giving the team an excellent one-two punch with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. While the Oilers have been a weak team, the thought of playing with wingers like Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky might be enticing for Staal. He’d certainly have a bigger role here.

The Oilers should certainly considering making a move for Staal, perhaps even trading away the #1 overall draft pick for him.

Is Staal worth a #1 pick? Not really sure, but that would net the Penguins Nail Yakupov. And dear god would that be awesome.

After the jump, Video of the day.

Two game sevens on tonight.

Lots of emotions. Mostly hate:

Thanks to @lisaarec for the pic.

So sad.

We figure the season will start (barring a lockout, or whatev) on or around October 6, 2012. If you disagree, f off.